Picture Day
Last week I received a phone call literally as I was stepping out the front door. It was the JHS vice principal calling to let me know that it was staff picture day and I needed to wear a suit! It was lucky timing, because normally I would have left home already, but I happened to be running late that day.
The picture was taken after school (of course, so I had all day for my hair to go crazy and frizzy). We all lined up outside in front of the school. The photographers were super meticulous...they were having people stand up so they could smooth out their pants and were rearranging ties, shirt collars, and suit jackets. Even the principal was reprimanded twice for not sitting up straight! Anyway, it was an experience that really solidified my new reality...like, now I am officially a part of Chizu JHS history!
"Pep Rally"
There is a big marathon for students in Yonago, so the day before we had a a cheering ceremony. It was nothing like a North American pep rally, but I guess its the closest translation. The students all stood lined up in the hall (not hallway, but the performance hall). The team members walked into the hall and all the students clapped. Then they sang the school song. After that several team members each gave a short speech. Then there was more singing, more speeches, and a coordinated drumming/clapping which all the teachers and students participated in (I just stood there awkwardly, yay).
Demonstration Lesson
On October 24th I had a demonstration lesson in a 2nd grade JHS class. I didn't quite understand what all it entailed until it happened. My JTE and I had spent some time preparing - she made this survey for the students about smartphones. I helped her make a powerpoint presentation about the results. Then we shared the results with the students and had them write opinion compositions about the topic of smartphones using the target grammar point (I think ~. Because ~.) There were like 20 people standing in the classroom and in the hallway watching, which was really nerve-wracking. Most of them were teachers from the ES, so it wasn't so bad, but I did recognize the head of the entire board of education. Anyway, it seemed to go over well! Directly after the lesson we had several hours of professional development - some guy came in and did a presentation on action research, then my JTE and I talked about how the class went, and finally we got into groups and discussed the lesson. It was really exhausting! I'm so glad its over, but now I have an observation lesson on November 19th, where I am observed by the head of Tottori JETs and English education!
Mount Mitoku Fire Festival
We hemmed and hawed a lot over whether we should go to this festival, since Mt. Mitoku is about 2.5 hours away, including 1 train change and a bus. In the end it looked too cool and I knew I would regret not going (it included walking over fire!). So we set off at 8:30am. We arrived at Mt. Mitoku around 11am. Upon disembarking the bus, Yana burst into tears because she didn't get to give the bus driver money (kids are free). She was inconsolable, but a sweet Japanese man came up to us and gave Yana a bag of candy and cookies. He took her by the hand and showed us the way up to where the festival was being held. The Japanese people here are so kind, especially to Yana.
We looked all around and examined the various buildings on the grounds. We drank some free sake, warmed over a fire and served in bamboo cups with a little salt. There was some kind of rice porridge soup as well, but I'm not super fond of porridge, so I decided not to try it. We met up with our old man friend again, and he gave us another box of chocolates, which he had won at the gambling thing they had going. He was super helpful, and told us where to buy the hachimaki headbands for walking over the fire.
Yana was extremely popular during this whole thing. We had our picture taken several times, like when we were washing our hands. At one point two ladies actually stole her away and were doing an impromptu photoshoot with her. Honestly, going out with her is like attending a celebrity. Sometimes she waves to people as she walks down the street. She'll tell them, "konnichiwa," and they go into fits. Its ridiculous!
The main event began at 1:30, so around 12:45 we took a seat on one of the giant blue tarps laid on the ground. We weren't sure if it was okay to sit there, but some kindly old ladies beckoned us closer and even shared their mat. A lady sitting behind us with her dog got a lot of attention from Yana, but she seemed pretty smitten too, so they played together through most of the ceremony.
The ceremony consisted of a procession, chanting, ritualistic axe moves, lighting the fires, archery, and throwing wooden wish tablets on the fire. Finally they lit the walking fire. When the greenery had mostly burned, they pushed it into a pit. Over the pit they laid a bunch of the logs, dousing them with a little water to cool them. The old ladies sitting beside us helped us tie our headbands and literally pushed us into the line (very forceful old ladies!). To cross the fire we had to first bow to the altar, then rub our feet in salt, cross the fire with our hands together (like prayer), and then bow again. We got a free mochi rice cake as well. It was all very fast, so unfortunately it was difficult to get pictures. The fire was very hot, and a bit painful, but it was like 3 seconds to cross, so not really long enough to hurt too much.
Afterwards we caught the bus back to Kurayoshi station, went and bought some delicious bread from a bakery, and rode the train back to Chizu! It was a long day!
No comments:
Post a Comment